spotlight robby gordon off road chase trucks - race

SPOTLIGHT
DIESEL MONSTERS
DIESEL
MONSTERS
ROBBY GORDON OFF ROAD CHASE TRUCKS
80
DB / OCTOBER ’07
IN THE WORLD OF DESERT OFF-ROAD RACING, THE UNSUNG HERO IS THE CHASE TRUCK. ALTHOUGH THE RACING
VEHICLES CAPTURE ALL THE GLORY, IT’S THE CHASE TRUCKS THAT MAKE IT POSSIBLE TO WIN RACES. CHASE
TRUCKS TRANSPORT SPARE PARTS, TOOLS, PIT EQUIPMENT, TIRES AND THE REQUISITE FUEL THAT IS NECESSARY
FOR A TEAM TO BE COMPETITIVE IN LONG-DISTANCE DESERT RACING.
Words: Chris Tobin
Photography: Chris Tobin
DB / OCTOBER ’07
81
SPOTLIGHT
DIESEL MONSTERS
THE FORWARD PORTION OF THE
ROOF RACK EXTENDS OVER THE
TRUCK’S CAB AND FEATURES A
STORAGE TRAY FOR LARGE
ITEMS. IT ALSO IS HOME TO THE
HELLA HID XENON DRIVING
LIGHTS (WITH CUSTOM GREEN
POWDERCOATED BEZELS) AND
GPS AND CB ANTENNAS.
Team Gordon keeps the truck’s
storage cabinets neat and orderly so they can easily locate tools
or parts that may be necessary
to work on the race truck.
Seventeen-inch Robby Gordon Off Road wheels are wrapped in Toyo M/T
Open Country 35x12.50R17LT tires. The Pro Comp remote reservoir MX6
shocks are easy to see in the large fenderwell gap.
82
DB / OCTOBER ’07
In the event of a failed part
or other need, racers rely on
their chase trucks to get to
them, bring them their parts,
make repairs in a hurry, and get
them back on their way. The
powerhouse desert racing team
of Robby Gordon Off Road
relies on a pair of well-stocked
four-wheel-drive
Chevro l e t
2500HD Crew Cab trucks to
support the No. 71 Trophy Truck
while it is attacking the desert.
Team Gordon uses two of these
chase trucks during their desert
races along with a pair of
Unimogs that form a base of
operations at camp or near the
racecourse.
Since the chase trucks must
be relied upon to get the team
anywhere, Gordon chose a pair
of heavy-duty diesel-powere d
trucks and modified them to suit
the team’s needs. Of course,
suspension modifications are
very important, since a stock rig
would have a difficult time making its way through the Mexican
desert. The team installed a Pro
Comp 6-inch lift kit with Pro
Comp MX6 adjustable remote
reservoir shocks at all four corners. Dual shocks are used up
front in conjunction with a single
Pro Comp shock in the OEM
location. In the rear, single MX6s
keep the suspension in check
while a pair of Firestone airbags
on custom mounts helps supp o rt the extra weight of the
work bed and all of the equipment the truck carries. Beefy
steering linkage and a custombuilt bumper with skidplate
were also installed in front to
make sure the rigs can tackle
Baja and emerge victorious.
To strengthen the rearend,
the team welded a tubular support to the bottom side of the
axle housings and centersection. The tubing is welded to
the axle housings at each end as
well as to the centersection.
Additionally, two diagonal struts
are welded between the axle
housings and the tubular support on each side. Custom
lower shock mounts are welded
to the axle housings and tubular
support. On the topside of the
axle housing, the team installed
large mounting perches for the
airbags that help support the
extra weight in the service bed
of the truck. In addition to the
airbags, the rearend of the truck
is supported by custom Deaver
leaf-spring packs in place of the
stock units with a 2.5-inch lift
block. To support the added
weight in the rear of the truck,
the team boxed the frame for
A.
added strength. So they could
carry a full-size spare tire below
the bed, the crossmember was
relocated to allow the 35-inch
spare tire to fit while clearing
the differential housing as the
suspension cycles.
With the lifted suspension
front and rear, Team Gordon can
install large 35x12.50R17LT Toyo
MT Open Country tires mounted on Robby Gordon Off Road
wheels without fear of rubbing
the fenders. The wheels are the
street version simulated beadlock style, which are much better suited for the heavy weight
of the big trucks.
The service bed on the
trucks is great for storing all the
B.
necessary tools and equipment
to support and maintain the
Trophy Truck, and it also serves
as a foundation for the ro o f
rack. The service bed is also the
mounting point for the folding
race truck spare-tire racks on
the rear of the truck. Inside the
service bed, large items such as
a spare transmission, fuel jug,
spare shocks, nitrogen tank,
generator and jackstands are
mounted or strapped down,
using a Mac’s Custom Tie
Downs track system to keep
them from shifting while the
chase trucks are doing their
duty across the desert. The custom roof rack allows the team to
store additional parts and/or
supplies without using valuable
space in the bed; it is also the
mounting location for four large
Hella HID Xenon off-road driving lights. The team also has a
pair of work lights mounted on
each side of the truck just in
case repairs are necessary in the
dark.
Under the hoods of both of
the Monster chase trucks, the
6.6-liter turbodiesel engine
breathes a little easier thanks to
an aFe Stage 2 cold-air intake
system. Electronically, the trucks
also use an Edge Juice with
Attitude
programmer
to
enhance engine performance.
They exhale spent gases
through a custom MagnaFlow
A. The team installed the controller
for the Edge programmer in the
overhead console to easily select
between modes and monitor the
programmer vitals.
B. A Panasonic DVD player with LCD
monitor is installed on the truck’s roof
to allow the team to watch a video if
they have any spare time.
C.
D.
C. A Lowrance GPS 6500C is installed
in the center console where it can be
seen and accessed by either the
driver or the passengers.
D. This cabinet in the service bed
holds needed fluids as well as
complete left and right spindle and
brake assemblies.
DB / OCTOBER ’07
83
SPOTLIGHT
The 6.6-liter Duramax under the hood of the Monster chase trucks is a
potent mill stock, but the team upped the performance ante with an
aFe intake and filter, as well as an Edge Juice with Attitude
programmer and MagnaFlow exhaust system.
The team welded the custom axle truss to the axle tubes to prevent it
from bending with the tremendous load and rough off-road conditions
these trucks are regularly required to traverse.
The spare tires for the Monster Trophy Truck are mounted on the rear of
the service bed on custom-built swing-away tire carriers. The trucks also
have heavy-duty receivers and hitches to tow a trailer loaded with the
race truck or pre-runner.
84
DB / OCTOBER ’07
exhaust system complete with a
large 4-inch-diameter polished
stainless steel tip.
To help the weary crewmen
climb in and out of their rigs
with a little less eff o rt, both
trucks are equipped with Amp
Research Power Step automatic
folding running boards. Other
exterior enhancements include
the deep black paint by
Anaheim Hills Auto Body to go
with the Monster color scheme,
since the trucks were originally
blue. T-Rex billet aluminum
grilles are installed in each truck
and combine with a gloss-black
Chevy Bow Tie to give the
trucks an intimidating presence.
Inside the cab, the Monster
Chevys are quite plush for chase
trucks—featuring a leather interior and seating for five. While
the leather seats are nice, the
trucks are first and fore m o s t
chase trucks, so a Lowrance
6500C GPS system to map the
racecourse and find the race
truck is necessary. The Lowrance
unit is mounted in the top portion of the center console so
that it can more easily be
viewed by the driver and passengers. An Icom chase radio
from PCI Race Radios is used to
keep in contact with the
Monster Trophy Truck, as well as
the rest of the chase and support team during the race. In
the event of downtime while
waiting for the Trophy Truck to
reach a pit location, the chase
crew can enjoy a video on the
Panasonic overhead DVD player
with built-in LCD screen.
In the world of big-time
desert racing, the diff e re n c e
between winning and losing can
be seconds, and the Monster
racing team takes no chances
on their support crew running
into problems. Top teams
depend on their crews and their
equipment being at the proper
place when needed. The Robby
Gordon Off Road team has put
their trust in a pair of dieselpowered Chevy Silverados to
deliver when the race is on the
line; the big bad Chevys have
yet to disappoint. DB
visit superrod.com
visit streetrodbuilder.com
visit chevyrumble.com
visit roddersdigest.com
visit fordbuilder.com
visit americanrodder.com
visit hcimagazine.com
visit truckbuildermagazine.com
COPYRIGHT NOTICE
The material in this document is protected
under the copyright laws of the United
States and international treaties and is the
visit dieselbuilder.com
property of BUCKAROO COMMUNICATIONS,
LLC, unless otherwise indicated. All rights
reserved. Editorial content, photos and
graphics may not be reproduced, stored in a
retrievable system, or transmitted in any
visit 4x4buildermagazine.com
form or by any means--electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise-without the express written permission of
BUCKAROO COMMUNICATIONS, LLC.
visit familyandperformanceboating.com